A blog about all of the things I love - Jesus, my Family and Triathlon.

Monday, July 19, 2010

Running as a Worship Experience

Yesterday was Sunday and I was so very glad to start it out as a normal Sunday with my long run. Now that word "long" has now become rather relative, as yesterday's 4 miles used to be my "daily run." But I digress...

I had my typical "I don't wanna, why the heck am I out here, I shoulda stayed in bed..." first mile or so. I'm just shuffling along and my foot was pretty swollen and painful still. After I had to walk the first hill I got pretty irritated with the state of my running and began the self pity mile....mile 2.

At the halfway mark, I turned around feeling pretty good and very grateful that I had decided to let all creatures great and small pass me and take it easy. Plotting my future training schedule, I was mentally punishing myself for the 2 weeks that I couldn't run and the loss of fitness. Feeling very irritated with myself and why can't I just get faster!?

That's when this song came on in my Mp3 rotation:

As soon as Mr. Agnew sang "Hallelujah, grace like rain falls down over me..." it started to rain. Like a flood I thought of all the bad choices I have made to abuse my body. Smoking, drug use, horrible diet, years of being overweight and inactive. These things could have caused permanent damage!

But no. I received GRACE. For some reason, I was spared disease and destruction so that I could go out and run...complaining all the while about my crummy pace time. Then I'm running and crying, and feeling like I could have run forever. The rain was just falling gently and I felt so grateful to be out there, with a body that can run. It really helped to put my little leg infection into perspective.

I am stubborn. I fall down, I get knocked down, I trip, stumble and falter. I don't stay down. I have the God given strength to keep getting back up, to keep starting over, never quit, never give up. For that I am grateful. I will try to celebrate accomplishment more, no matter how small I may think it is.